UNDATED (WTAQ) – Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services say a rare and deadly bacterial infection has now been confirmed in Winnebago County.
On Wednesday, DHS officials added Winnebago County to the list of counties affected by Elizabethkingia.
The majority of counties impacted by the disease is in southern Wisconsin. That includes the Milwaukee and Madison areas, along with Dodge, Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties.
Currently there are 52 confirmed cases of Elizabethkingia in Wisconsin, three cases under investigations and another 4 possible cases that health officials say will never be able to be confirmed.
Health officials say most of the people affected are over age 65 with underlying health problems.
So far it’s unclear where the infections came from, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have tested and ruled out health care products, water sources and the environment.
Since November, more than a dozen people have died as a result of the outbreak.
